PM: Israel’s decisions not based on external pressures

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) sits at the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem, on March 27, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

JERUSALEM – Israel is a sovereign country that does not make decisions based on pressures from abroad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday in response to comments by US President Joe Biden.

Biden earlier said he hoped Netanyahu would abandon judicial changes that had sparked protests in Israel and a political crisis for its government.

"Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends."

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He said his administration was striving to make reforms "via broad consensus."